Overview

New York Times Bestseller

How feminine values can solve our toughest problems and build a more prosperous future

Among 64,000 people surveyed in thirteen nations, two thirds feel the world would be a better place if men thought more like women. This marks a global trend away from the winner-takes-all, masculine approach to getting things done. Drawing from interviews at innovative organizations in eighteen nations and at Fortune 500 boardrooms,...

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Overview

New York Times Bestseller

How feminine values can solve our toughest problems and build a more prosperous future

Among 64,000 people surveyed in thirteen nations, two thirds feel the world would be a better place if men thought more like women. This marks a global trend away from the winner-takes-all, masculine approach to getting things done. Drawing from interviews at innovative organizations in eighteen nations and at Fortune 500 boardrooms, the authors reveal how men and women alike are recognizing significant value in traits commonly associated with women, such as nurturing, cooperation, communication, and sharing. The Athena Doctrine shows why femininity is the operating system of 21st century prosperity.

—Advocates a new way to solve today's toughest problems in business, education, government, and more
—Based on a landmark survey and results from Young & Rubicam's respected Brand Asset Valuator's global survey, as well as on-the-ground interviews in 18 countries
—From acclaimed social theorist, consumer expert, and bestselling author, John Gerzema, and award-winning author, Michael D'Antonio

Brought to life through real world examples and backed by rigorous data, The Athena Doctrine shows how feminine traits are ascending—and bringing success to people and organizations around the world. By nurturing, listening, collaborating and sharing, women and men are solving problems, finding profits, and redefining success in every realm.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Women, often criticized in the workplace for their softer, more compassionate approach to management, are now seeing these same values move to the forefront of the business world. Gerzema and D’Antonio (coauthors of Spend Shift) document this dramatic shift in global opinion. The authors surveyed a wide range of cultural, geographical, political, religious, and economically diverse groups across 13 countries, attempting to understand how people “gauge the times we live in.” They were surprised to find dissatisfaction not only with government and the economy, but with the conduct of men in general, even in male-dominated societies such as Japan. People now seek more expressive leaders. As the authors write: “Masculine traits like aggression and control are seen as less effective than the feminine values of collaboration and sharing credit.” The authors examine numerous examples of how these now-prized qualities manifest themselves everywhere from China and Israel, to Bhutan and Kenya. They also provide a captivating look at how individuals, regardless of gender and ethnicity, view behaviors as masculine, feminine, or neutral. A fascinating case study of human nature, this book provides insight into future world leaders. Agent: James Levine, the Levine Greenberg Agency. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

“Captivating... a fascinating case study of human nature,this book provides insight into future world leaders.”—Publishers Weekly

"With a wealth of data and even richer stories from around theworld, The Athena Doctrine offers convincing proof that thefuture requires us to embrace traits and values traditionallylinked to women. Leave it to two fathers of daughters to show ushow men and women alike are using empathy and collaboration tosolve problems big and small. If you care about leadership,creativity, and the world of tomorrow, you must read thisbook."—Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief, TheHuffington Post

"The Athena Doctrine is a powerful book. Extraordinaryresearch. Great story telling. A message both timely and ofmonumental importance."—Tom Peters, leadership guru and bestselling author, InSearch of Excellence

"Goddess of both craft and wisdom, patron of Odysseus, andinspiration for legions of smart girls, Athena is an icon for ourtimes. The Athena Doctrine offers a gender-neutral approachto embracing a set of values that underpin a new generation ofinnovation based on connection and creativity. It is an optimisticand energizing book."—Anne-Marie Slaughter, professor of politics andinternational affairs, Princeton University; former director ofpolicy planning, U.S. Department of State

"The Athena Doctrine offers more than ample evidence ofthe rebalance needed in global leadership. Painstakingly researchedand documented, with interviews of amazing people all over theworld, the ideas in this book will influence the leaders oftomorrow and, more importantly, make the case for more womenleaders."—Pat Mitchell, president and CEO, the Paley Center forMedia; curator, TEDxWomen

“Rich in data and stories from around the world, thisfresh analysis will certainly provoke healthy debate in theworkplace and hopefully smash through a few glassceilings.”—Tina Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Daily Beast andNewsweek

“…this is a book for everyone, and I have nodoubt that your life and your work will be enriched by readingit.”—Jack Covert, 800-CEORead

Library Journal

Authors Gerzema and D'Antonio (coauthors, Spend Shift) focus on verifying their assertion that feminine leadership qualities are the key to creating a better world. Their data-driven research involves a survey conducted broadly across 13 countries taken by people from different cultural, economic, political, and religious backgrounds, to distinguish feminine from masculine leadership traits. Another survey ranked the importance of the found characteristics and investigated their application to various areas of life. The findings revealed the feminine qualities of leadership, success, morality, and happiness, as ascendant, particularly for the younger generation. The remaining chapters look at how these qualities are exhibited on a global scale, covering Great Britain, Israel, Japan, Kenya, India, China, and Bhutan, among others. While the stories of the amazing people Gerzema and D'Antonio interview are informative, the authors could have tied these case studies more directly to the Athena-related qualities discussed cogently in the introduction and conclusion. VERDICT Although this book is focused on leadership it should appeal to those interested in business and global economics.—Elizabeth Nelson, UOP Library, Des Plaines, IL

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Meet the Author

John Gerzema is a pioneer in using data to identify social change and help companies adapt to new trends and demands. He is a bestselling author, speaker, and consultant. His books The Brand Bubble and Spend Shift have appeared on numerous “best of” lists, and his TED talks have been seen by hundreds of thousands of people.

Michael D’Antonio is the author and coauthor of many books, including Spend Shift. He won the Pulitzer Prize with writers at Newsday and the Alicia Patterson Fellowship.

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